Double blow leaves festival in turmoil

ARUNDEL Festival has suffered the double blow of losing its "home" '“ historic Arundel Castle '“ and its director, Mary Hamilton.

From next year the festival will no longer stage its celebrated Shakespeare productions at its open-air theatre within the atmospheric castle grounds. Instead, the castle trustees will stage their own events during the festivities.

The castle trustees have made a 50,000 donation to the Arundel Festival Society as part of the deal which sees the festival leave the venue where it began 28 years ago, with a Shakespeare production to mark the Queen's silver jubilee.

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Dr James Walsh, the festival's chairman, dismissed the suggestion that the society had been "paid off" by the trustees, but he admitted that no longer having the castle left him and fellow board members with the problem of finding somewhere else to stage Shakespeare productions.

Mrs Hamilton handed in her resignation as festival director as a result of the agreement between the castle and the festival, but declined to say any more about the matter for the time being.

Dr Walsh told the Gazette yesterday (Wednesday): "The festival society has certainly lost control of the castle as a venue. All events there will be under the control and direction of the castle trustees.

"That is their decision. It's their right, and we respect that right and their decision.

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"We are determined, with them, to make a success of the whole festival, and that also includes the Fringe, Gallery Trail and Theatre Trail.

"We have lost our major venue. Fortunately, there are other excellent venues in Arundel, which we will be able to use '” the cathedral and the parish church, to name two of the most prominent ones, which we have used in the past."

Both churches are likely to be used for classical music concerts, but the festival is now searching for a suitable venue to stage Shakespeare.

Dr Walsh said the board was sad not to be able to use the castle grounds, adding: "Time will tell how much we are left with. That will depend on the level of sponsorship from the county council, Arun and the Arts Council."

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The festival would not be holding events at Fontwell Park racecourse, as it did this year, during the festival week, but it was too early to say if that venue would be used to raise funds at another time of the year.

Chamber music concerts featuring young, gifted musicians would continue to be held at Champs Hill, Coldwaltham, the home of David and Mary Bowerman.

"Although the great unknown is the Shakespeare, we hope the rest of it will continue to work out as a really worthwhile, fun-filled festival," said Dr Walsh.

The festival would be starting with a clean sheet thanks to the 50,000 donation negotiated with the castle trustees, which had helped to clear the event's accumulated deficit, the chairman added.

But could the festival survive without the castle?

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"The answer is, it will survive, if the public want it to. I believe it can succeed. We had a joint meeting with all the interested parties at the castle on Monday night, chaired by the Duke. There was full commitment from the Fringe, Gallery Trail and Theatre Trail, to co-operate on marketing and publicity, and to make it a success in its changed guise.

"No one likes change. But change always provides challenge and opportunity, and that's the spirit in which we are seeing it."

On Mrs Hamilton's resignation, Dr Walsh said she continued to enjoy the board's full trust as a "very committed, enthusiastic and professional festival director". He hoped that relationship could continue, but in a different arrangement to previously.

A spokeswoman for the castle trustees said the castle's events would be very much part of the festival, and not separate. The castle now had much experience in running events and wanted to work with everyone in Arundel to make the festival a success.